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Tag Archives: Richmond
Richmond – Plan for greener new developments approved
1 June 2020: A newly updated sustainability checklist that aims to help developers make new developments as green as possible has been approved by Richmond Council. The Sustainable Construction Checklist Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) is an update to the existing SPD, which was last revised in 2016. It gives housebuilders and those developing non-residential spaces a clear steer on what is expected of them to reduce the environmental impact of their developments, regardless of whether their projects are new builds, conversions or extensions. Full details set out on press release here.
40 ESCO deals signed through RE:FIT programme
June 2014: A response by the Mayor to a question this month provides details that, of the 125 public sector organisations working with the RE:FIT programme, 40 have so far signed energy service deals through the GLA’s RE:FIT procurement framework. Local authorities signed up to RE:FIT include Harrow, Ealing, Sutton, Enfield, Merton and Camden. A full list of the 40 organisation is provided here (though, confusingly, a few organisations are mentioned more than once – so not it’s not clear if the list is less than 40 – or these organisations have signed more than one deal with an ESCO partner…?).
Posted in Energy Efficiency, News
Tagged Brent, Buildings, Camden, Ealing, Enfield, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Kingston, Merton, Newham, RE:FIT, Richmond, Sutton, Waltham Forest
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Energy efficiency programme for London’s ‘Cultural & Heritage’ sector
June 2014: The Mayor’s non-domestic energy efficiency programme, RE:FIT, recently held an event focused on improving the energy performance London’s Cultural & Heritage buildings. Presentations were provided by RE:FIT participants the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Millfield Theatre, who undertook their RE:FIT project through the London Borough of Enfield. Details of the event can be read here – and an article on green improvements made at the Lyric Hammersmith theatre, who plan to work with the RE:FIT programme shortly, can be see here.
Seperately, the always innovative Arcola Theatre was profiled as a case study in the government’s recent solar energy strategy for their work on using solar PV together with energy storage technology (see page 48 of the strategy document here).
Posted in Energy Efficiency, News, Renewable Energy
Tagged Buildings, Enfield, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Photovoltaics, RE:FIT, Richmond
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London Home Energy Efficiency programme “significantly delayed”
December 2013: An oral evidence session between officials and the London Assembly Budget & Performance Committee (see earlier post for details) highlighted the slow progress of the Mayor’s domestic energy efficiency retrofit programme RE:NEW. A new paper (06a(v)) presented to the 18th December meeting of the London Assembly Budget Monitoring Sub-Committee provides some data helping illustrate the extent of the shortfall.
The current forecast for 13/14 (right hand chart) shows that RE:NEW is predicted to just miss the project target – however, the performance level to date indicated shows that even this reduced level of delivery is still some way off. The oral evidence session (referred to above) in fact suggests that only 3% of the 13/14 target has as yet been achieved (996 tonnes of CO2 compared to a target of 29,416 – earlier post). Paper 06a(v) provides some explanation for the slow progress:
- Delivery of the RE:NEW Phase II carbon targets is significantly delayed and contractors will miss their obligations. This is largely due to delays in availability of ECO (government subsidy). Delivery of the carbon savings from the interim Support Team has exceeded targets for quarter two
- Performance payments have been withheld from contractors and the funding is being reallocated to the RE:NEW Support Team in order to reduce the shortfall in performance. However, this is not sufficient to completely mitigate the lower savings from RE:NEW Phase II and this, combined with a delay in confirmation from the European Investment Bank for ELENA funding prior to commencing procurement of the full RE:NEW Support Team, means its is forecast 75 per cent of 2013/14 carbon targets will be achieved.
- The targets for future years have been reviewed and updated in light of the above and as planned. They have been reduced for 2014/15 and 2015/16, but an additional year of delivery (2016/17) has been added, which leads to an increase in carbon savings overall – albeit over a longer period.
The paper goes on to report latest CO2 saving estimates of two further Mayor’s climate change projects – RE:FIT (the public sector building retrofit project) and the London decentralised energy programme. The latter states that “Significant progress has been made on several projects, particularly with regards the Lea Valley Heat Network, Lakeside Energy from Waste, Greenwich Power Station and the Kew Gardens Decentralised Energy scheme.“
Posted in Energy Efficiency, News
Tagged Carbon Emissions, Decentralised Energy, ECO, Enfield, Greenwich, RE:FIT, RE:NEW, Richmond
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Green Deal & ECO in London – six months in
September 2013: Following the publication of the first quarterly set of detailed Green Deal and ECO (Energy Company Obligation) data back in July (details of which are outlined in the following post here) DECC has now published the much anticipated second quarter’s data set on 19 September 2013 (press release here).
In contrast to the regular monthly DECC datasets, the quarterly data provides a regional breakdown of i.Green Deal assessments undertaken ii. ECO measures installed and data on iii. Green Deal cashback vouchers offered, allowing some idea of how the Government’s new energy efficiency regime is progressing in London.
Posted in Energy Efficiency, News
Tagged ECO, Energy Efficiency, Enfield, Green Deal, Haringey, Kingston, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond, Waltham Forest
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London’s first hydroelectric turbine
November 2012: The National Trust started London’s first ever Archimedes Screw hydroelectric turbine at Morden Hall Park in south west London sited on the river Wandle. Local MP for Kingston and Surbiton, Ed Davey – who is handily also the Secretary of State at DECC – was in attendance at the launch event. The National Trust’s news release adds that the “Archimedes Screw turbine will generate enough electricity to power the Park’s new award-winning visitor centre. By acting like a modern waterwheel it will harness the power of the river to generate electricity. It is estimated that it will generate 59,000 kWh a year – enough for about 16 average households.” The 8.5kWe turbine had a high capital cost – reported at £350,000 fully installed – and much debate about how this cost should be viewed is presented on the following Guardian article (ie high capital cost, but very low ongoing costs for the generator over its life span).
Further details on the project are posted on the Morden Hall Park blog and information on the Archimedes Screw itself on the website of the technology provider for this installation, Halliday’s Hydropower.
A further hydropower project, also using an Archimedes Screw, is planned in London at Teddington Weir, further information for which is at project website Ham Hydro (and in an earlier post here).
Top 20 Cities with Billions at Risk from Climate Change
July 2012: With the weather we’re currently experiencing, it’s interesting to read this Bloomberg article setting out that “More than 130 port cities around the world are at increasing risk from severe storm-surge flooding, damage from high storm winds, rising and warming global seas and local land subsidence. Poorly planned development often puts more people in vulnerable areas, too, increasing risk. About $3 trillion of assets are at risk today, a tally on track to reach $35 trillion by 2070, according to an ongoing study by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development.” Click through the slides to see the 20 port cities most vulnerable to climate extremes – which doesn’t fortunately include London.
London is however likely to face increased challenges associated with flooding – as set out in chapter 3 of the Mayor’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy which highlights that:
- Nearly 15 per cent of London lies on the former flood plains of London’s rivers”
- A significant proportion of London lies within the Thames tidal floodplain and without the protection afforded by the tidal flood defences, much of that area would flood twice a day, everyday on each high tide
- The last tidal flood in London was in 1928, when 14 people drowned in Pimlico. In 1953, London narrowly escaped damage whena tidal surge inundated large parts of Kent and Essex, killing over 300 people. This resulted in the construction of the current Thames tidal defences, an integrated system comprising the Thames Barrier, 185 miles of floodwalls, 35 major gates and over 400 minor gates.
- The Thames Barrier has been operational since 1982 and has been closed over 100 times to protect London from flooding
The Museum of London’s 2011 ‘Postcards from the Future’ exhibition imagined what London might look like as a result of a number of future stress factors, including climate change. The 14 striking images, which include wind turbines in Piccadilly Circus, a nuclear power station in Kew Gardens and palm oil cultivation in Hyde Park, can be viewed here.
Ham Hydro Update
March 2012: A quick update on the community-led Ham Hydro renewable energy project which has been mentioned in some earlier posts – the hydropower scheme involves the installation of “3 Archimedean screw turbines on Teddington Weir to generate approximately 1,900 MWh per annum – enough to power 600 homes”. A formal planning application to Richmond Council was submitted a few months ago, and the full documentation of the scheme’s submission can be viewed on Richmond Council’s planning website here.
The Hydrograph
January 2012: Community-led renewable energy scheme in Richmond, Ham Hydro, has recently published its first newsletter providing an update on their project, which involves the installation of hydro power turbines on the River Thames at Teddington Weir. Down The Hydrograph at www.hamhydro.org. Further information is available on the Ham Hydro energyshare webpage.
Posted in News, Renewable Energy
Tagged Community Initiatives, Renewable Energy, Richmond
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London schemes through to the next round of ‘energyshare’
12 August 2011: British Gas and River Cottage’s energyshare initiative have today announced the ‘longlist’ of 100 community renewable energy projects bidding for support from the initial £500,000 energyshare fund. Only seven London schemes are in this list of 100 projects and links to their project descriptions can be found below:
Ham Hydro – the installation of hydro power turbines on the River Thames at Teddington Weir
PETRA – green refurbishment of tower blocks to best practice standards of energy and water efficiency and generate renewable energy
SPACE_Solar – the installation of a large solar array on a new artist studio building in Peckham
All Souls Solar – installation of a solar array on All Souls Church in St Margarets, Isleworth
Glyndon Community – a scheme to make part of Plumstead-based Glyndon community centre’s energy consumpution come from renewable sources
Hackney City Farm
Hyde Farm Climate Action Network – Supporting ongoing energy saving projects on the Hyde Farm estate in Balham.
Further funding of £2m will be supplied for future bidding rounds by British Gas – much more information on energyshare can be found on their website.
Posted in News
Tagged Greenwich, Hackney, Havering, Hounslow, Lambeth, Renewable Energy, Richmond, Southwark
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